Review Article

A Systematic Review on Technology-Supported Interventions to Improve Old-Age Social Wellbeing: Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Connectedness

Table 3

Social interactions and contacts.

InterventionOnline group or one-to-oneContactsContact with research staff

Ballantyne et al. [30]Online groupFamily and friends, new peopleWeekly visits first, then fewer; phone calls at most 1 h/week
Blažun et al. [32]Online groupFamily and friends, new peopleTraining once a week; 4 h in Finland and 3 h in Slovenia
Cattan et al. [43]One-to-oneVolunteers (predefined)Variable number of weekly calls
Cotten et al. [34]Online groupFamily and friends, new peopleEight-week training (data from first 2 weeks)
Dodge et al. [44]One-to-onePredefined (trained interviewers)Video chat 30–35 min/day; 5 days/week
Fokkema and Knipscheer [41]Online groupFamily and friends, new people, other participants, acquaintances5 × 2 h lessons; visits every 2–3 weeks
Garattini et al. [45]Online groupFamily and friends, other participants4 × 1 h visits; messages via app; weekly calls (extra calls for technical issues)
Larsson et al. [39]Online groupFamily and friends, new people, and other participantsIndividual meeting offered weekly, group meeting every 2 weeks
Machesney et al. [40]One-to-onePredefined (trained helpers)Visits and phone calls, available 24/7
Széman et al. [41]Online groupFamily and friends, new people, and acquaintances1 × 1.5 h lesson; 1 h visits twice a week
White et al. [42]Online groupFamily and friends, new people3 × 2 h lessons, three 1 h lessons; trainer visits 2 h/week
Baez et al. [46]Online groupOther participants, predefined (coach)1.5 h training model before baseline; support messages/calls
Czaja et al. [35]Online groupFamily and friends, other participantsInitial setup, 3x check visits, calls at week 1, months 3 and 9
Banbury et al. [47]Online groupFamily and friends, predefined (facilitator), and other participantsMinimal training
Barbosa et al. [48]One-to-oneFamily and friends, acquaintancesIndividual training at before deployment; weekly support visits
Chiu and Wu [33]Online groupFamily and friends90-min ICT training sessions weekly for 12 weeks
Gutierrez et al. [36]Online groupFamily and friendsUnaccounted frequency, support provided by family member
Isaacson et al. [49]Online groupFamily and friends, other participantsVisit for setup and training and after 4–5 weeks
Jarvis et al. [37]Online groupFamily and friends, predefined (facilitator)8x 90-min training session (during first 4 weeks), then weekly support visits
Jarvis et al. [38]Online groupFamily and friends, other participants2x 90-min training session/week over 15 days, then weekly support visits
Morton et al. [50]Online groupFamily and friends, other participants, and acquaintances3x 90-min training/week (month 1); session every 2 weeks, 1 h remote support alternate weeks (month 2), then 1 month of remote support and no visits
Myhre et al. [51]Online groupOther participants3 × 2 h training session for a week
Barbosa et al. [52]One-to-oneFamily and friends1x individual training session, then weekly visits
Pauly et al. [53]Online groupFamily and friends2x training sessions before intervention, 3 h customized workshop during intervention
Tomasino et al. [54]Online groupOther participants, predefined (coach)Remote support throughout the study